What Questions Should We Be Asking About Cell-Based Meats?

  • Date: 06-May-2021
  • Source: Forbes
  • Sector:Industrial
  • Country:Gulf
  • Who else needs to know?

What Questions Should We Be Asking About Cell-Based Meats?

Cell-based meat, also known as cultivated meat, cellular agriculture or lab-grown meat, is one of the biggest recent trends in food technology. By cultivating such proteins in-vitro in large fermentation vats similar to those used to brew beer, researchers, marketers and investors hope to attract a broad base of customers. The hope is that many people want to enjoy meat without the cruelty and the destructive health, climate and environmental impacts of concentrated animal feedlots. Billions of dollars in speculative investment have flowed into this space, especially in the wake of Singapore's approval of cell-based chicken analogues. Given this capital tsunami and the growing public relations push, the entry of such products into the global food system at scale seems likely. While it is hard to imagine such new endeavors will be anywhere as bad as the conventional meat industry, how should we assess the potential impacts to supply chains, human health and the environment of cell-based meats? Let's start with a couple of examples from food history as context. Over a hundred years ago, Procter & Gamble introduced hydrogenated oils, or trans fats, into the food supply, an innovative trend that took off during the Great Depression and World